The present invention relates to a commodity carrying and storing apparatus comprising, a pallet on which a commodity is placed, a plurality of columns detachably attached to the pallet in positions so as to surround the commodity placed on the pallet, coupling means for coupling neighboring two columns while adjusting the distance between the two columns, and a top plate which is detachably attached to the top of each of the plurality of columns directly or via another member.
A commodity carrying and storing apparatus used to carry or store various industrial products such as electrical products, parts of the industrial products, construction materials, furniture, natural goods, and other various commodities is conventionally known. A conventional commodity carrying and storing apparatus of this kind generally comprises: a pallet on which a commodity is placed; four columns fixed at four corners of the pallet in a state where the columns are upright on a commodity placement face of the pallet; and coupling members each for fixedly coupling neighboring columns. In the case of carrying a commodity by the commodity carrying and storing apparatus, a commodity is housed in a space on the inside of the four columns and is placed on the pallet. The commodity carrying and storing apparatus having therein the commodity is carried. In the case of storing the commodity housed in the commodity carrying and storing apparatus into a warehouse or the like, a plurality of commodity carrying and storing apparatuses can be stacked, so that the space in the warehouse can be effectively utilized.
The sizes of commodities to be carried or stored by the commodity carrying and storing apparatuses of this kind are various. On the other hand, in the conventional commodity carrying and storing apparatus, the volume of the space for housing a commodity is fixed. Consequently, although a commodity in a size adapted to the commodity carrying and storing apparatus of a specific size can be carried or stored, a commodity of a size larger than the commodity housing space of the commodity carrying and storing apparatus cannot be carried or stored. In the case of carrying or storing a commodity extremely smaller than the commodity housing space by the commodity carrying and storing apparatus, it is unpreferable since the carrying efficiency deteriorates and, moreover, the space in the warehouse is vainly used.
The applicant of the invention has therefore proposed the above-described commodity carrying and storing apparatus (Japanese Patent Application No. 11-62447). According to the commodity carrying and storing apparatus, the distance between neighboring columns can be adjusted, so that commodities of various sizes can be efficiently carried or stored. Moreover, other commodities can be placed on the top plate.
Only with the construction which has been proposed, however, when the commodity carrying and storing apparatuses are stacked, a work of accurately placing the upper commodity carrying and storing apparatus onto the lower commodity carrying and storing apparatus is not easy. It is feared that the work efficiency deteriorates.
It is an object of the invention to provide a commodity carrying and storing apparatus obtained by eliminating the drawbacks from the above-described conventional commodity carrying and storing apparatus.
According to the invention, in order to achieve the object, there is proposed a commodity carrying and storing apparatus wherein the top plate is provided with guiding means for guiding an upper commodity carrying and storing apparatus to a predetermined placement position in a lower commodity carrying and storing apparatus when the upper and lower commodity carrying and storing apparatuses are stacked.
In this case, it is advantageous when the guiding means also serves as apparatus positioning means for positioning the upper commodity carrying and storing apparatus to the lower commodity carrying and storing apparatus when the upper commodity carrying and storing apparatus is placed on the lower commodity carrying and storing apparatus.
Preferably, in the commodity carrying and storing apparatus according to a first aspect or a second aspect, the guiding means has a guide face for guiding the upper commodity carrying and storing apparatus in one of horizontal directions when the upper commodity carrying and storing apparatus is lowered from above the lower commodity carrying and storing apparatus and is placed on the lower commodity carrying and storing apparatus.
Preferably, in the commodity carrying and storing apparatus according to a third aspect, the guiding means has a guide face for guiding the upper commodity carrying and storing apparatus in the other horizontal direction which is orthogonal to the one of the horizontal directions when the upper commodity carrying and storing apparatus is lowered from above the lower commodity carrying and storing apparatus and is placed on the lower carrying and storing apparatus.
In the commodity carrying and storing apparatus according to the third aspect or a forth aspect, it is advantageous when the guide face is constructed as an inclined face for guiding the pallet of the upper commodity carrying and storing apparatus.
Preferably, in the commodity carrying and storing apparatus according to any one of the first aspect to a fifth aspect, the commodity carrying and storing apparatus further comprises top plate positioning means for positioning the top plate to the pallet so as to construct a top plate and pallet assembly in which the top plate and the pallet are assembled when the top plate is detached from the columns, the columns are detached from the pallet, and the top plate is placed on the pallet.
In the commodity carrying and storing apparatus according to a sixth aspect, the top plate positioning means may be comprised of a projection provided for the pallet and a hole which is formed in the top plate to be placed on the pallet and in which the projection is fit.
Preferably, in the commodity carrying and storing apparatus according to any one of the first aspect to a seventh aspect, when the top plate is detached from the columns, the columns are detached from the pallet, the top plate is placed on the pallet, the top plate and the pallet are assembled as a top plate and pallet assembly, and upper and lower top plate and pallet assemblies are stacked, the guiding means guides the upper top plate and pallet assembly to the lower top plate and pallet assembly.
In the commodity carrying and storing apparatus according to any one of the first aspect to an eighth aspect, when an upper top plate and pallet assembly is placed on a lower top plate and pallet assembly, the guiding means may position the upper top plate and pallet assembly to the lower top plate and pallet assembly.
In the commodity carrying and storing apparatus according to any one of the sixth aspect to a ninth aspect, it is advantageous that the plurality of columns and coupling means construct a column unit which can be folded in a state where the columns are detached from the pallet, and openings are formed in the pallet and the top plate so that when a plurality of top plate and pallet assemblies are stacked, a space for storing the folded column unit is formed on the inside.
Preferably, in the commodity carrying and storing apparatus according to a tenth aspect, a part of the column unit is formed larger than the opening formed in the top plate, and the largely formed part in the column unit can be engaged with the periphery of the opening formed in the top plate.
Further, in the commodity carrying and storing apparatus according to an eleventh aspect, it is advantageous that the pallet is constructed so that a space in which a cargo gear is inserted is formed below a commodity placement face, a plurality of openings are formed in the top plate, and the length of the column unit is set so that the column unit does not exist in the space below the commodity placement face of the pallet in the lowest top plate and pallet assembly when top plate and pallet assemblies of the number equal to the number of openings are stacked and the column unit is inserted to each of the openings formed in the top plate of the uppermost top plate and pallet assembly.
Preferably, in the commodity carrying and storing apparatus according to any one of the first aspect to a twelfth aspect, a display part in which desired information is written is provided for the top plate.
In the commodity carrying and storing apparatus according to a thirteenth aspect, the display part may be a tongue part which extends downward from the periphery of the top plate.
In the commodity carrying and storing apparatus according to any one of the first aspect to a fourteenth aspect, it is advantageous that four columns detachably attached to the pallet so as to be almost perpendicular to a commodity placement face of the pallet are provided, and the coupling means interlockingly adjusts the distances so that distances each between two neighboring columns change at the same ratio.
Preferably, in the commodity carrying and storing apparatus according to any one of the first aspect to the fourteenth aspect, four columns detachably attached to the pallet so as to be almost perpendicular to a commodity placement face of the pallet are provided, and the coupling means interlockingly adjusts a distance between two neighboring columns and a distance between other two neighboring columns which face the above two columns so that the distances change at the same ratio.
Preferably, in the commodity carrying and storing apparatus according to any one of the first aspect to a fifth aspect, four columns which are detachably attached to the pallet so as to be almost perpendicularly to a commodity placement face of the pallet are provided, the coupling means has first and second joints attached to each column along the longitudinal direction of the column and first and second coupling members for coupling two neighboring columns to each other, the second joint is positioned lower than the first joint in a state where the four columns are attached to the pallet, the first and second coupling members are positioned so as to cross each other in a state where the four columns are attached to the pallet, one end in the longitudinal direction of each of the first coupling members is turnably coupled to the first joint attached to one of neighboring columns, the other end in the longitudinal direction is turnably coupled to the second joint attached to the other column in the two neighboring columns, one end in the longitudinal direction of each of the second coupling members is turnably coupled to the first joint attached to the other column, the other end in the longitudinal direction is turnably coupled to the second joint attached to the one of the columns, and at least one of the first and second joints is assembled to each of the columns so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction of the column.
Preferably, in the commodity carrying and storing apparatus according to any one of the fourteenth aspect to a sixteenth aspect, first to fourth columns detachably attached to the pallet almost so as to be perpendicular to a commodity placement face of the pallet are provided; the coupling means has first to third joints attached to each of first to fourth columns along the longitudinal direction of the column and first and second coupling members for coupling neighboring first and second columns, neighboring second and third columns, neighboring third and fourth columns, and neighboring fourth and first columns; the second and third joints are positioned lower than the first joint and the second joint is positioned lower than the third joint in a state where the four columns are attached to the pallet; the first and second coupling members are positioned so as to cross each other in a state where the four columns are attached to the pallet; one end in the longitudinal direction of each of the first and second coupling members provided between the first and second neighboring columns and the first and second coupling members provided between the third and fourth columns positioned opposite to the first and second columns is turnably coupled to the first joint attached to each of the first to fourth columns, and the other end in the longitudinal direction is turnably coupled to the second joint attached to each of the first to fourth columns; one end in the longitudinal direction of each of the first and second coupling members provided between the neighboring second and third columns and the first and second coupling members provided between the fourth and first columns which are positioned opposite to the second and third columns is turnably coupled to the first joint attached to each of the second, third, fourth and first columns, and the other end in the longitudinal direction is turnably coupled to the third joint attached to each of the second, third, fourth and first columns; and at least the second and third joints in the first to third joints are assembled to each of the columns so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction of the column.
Other objects and features of this invention will become understood from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings.